“Nobody likesto take the instrument proficiency check,” said the woman at the front desk of a local flight school. But there are ways to make it almost fun, and that’s by taking a quick review course before presenting yourself to the instructor.

The AOPA 2014 Sweepstakes Debonair was awarded Oct. 5 to Steve Lagergren of rural Litchfield, Minnesota, after an elaborate ruse in which the much sought-after and highly customized airplane was delivered to him in the sky near his home airport.

A VFR pilot enters instrument conditions shortly after takeoff. Air traffic control gets an instructor on the ground involved to help talk the pilot through the serious situation to narrowly avert tragedy.